Fantasy Baseball Injury Report – Ian Desmond Fractures Hand

In our latest fantasy baseball injury report, Ian Desmond has fractured the second metacarpal in his left hand and will undergo surgery Wednesday. The Rockies’ new first baseman was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning of a Cactus league game against the Reds on Sunday. This news represents a rather serious blow to fantasy baseball fans hoping to cash in on the power and potential of Desmond in the upcoming fantasy season as he’s now expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks of the season.

The 31 year old Desmond wasn’t exactly lighting up the spring training world, hitting a mere .240 with one homer and four RBIs in only nine games. However, the newly converted first baseman also has shortstop and outfield eligibility which makes him an attractive fantasy baseball commodity. Add in 20/20/275 capability at the plate and playing 80 games in the most hitter friendly park in baseball, this injury will leave a mark.

On a more positive note, his fantasy baseball draft status will surely plummet due to the injury he’s sustained, but he would be back full time around the May timeframe which would still leave time to get back on track and allow him the opportunity to provide your fantasy with some value given his diminished draft day value. If your team can find a way to sustain for the first month of the season, there could be some positive value here.

But now that he’s out for a while, who’s playing time door opens up a bit wider? Right now it looks like Mark Reynolds and Gerrardo Parra will benefit from Desmond injury with an increase in playing time. From my viewpoint, Gerrardo Parra may actually come out as the top beneficiary due to his ability to cover first base along with finding additional playing time in left field with David Dahl also ailing too.

We will definitely know more following the surgery scheduled for Wednesday. In the meantime, you should lower Desmond on your overall rankings, but don’t take him off your radar completely as his lowered ADP could provide a steal of a deal that could turn a fantasy baseball profit.

As always, your comments and feedback are always welcome. Feel free to share this article as well and good luck in your upcoming fantasy drafts.

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